Community Guidelines - (Updated 7th June 2014)

These Community Guidelines are designed to help you understand how we expect members of the Swindon.co.uk community to behave and to help you get the most out of the site. Make sure you read these guidelines and our Terms of Use before you start to use our site, to avoid any mistakes which could have serious consequences.

Basic Principles

As a member of the Swindon.co.uk community we expect you to:1. Conduct yourself honestly and truthfully at all times.2. Refrain from offensive language, spam, or self promotion.3. Comply with our Terms of Use.

Adding reviews

Include useful details

Are there some useful details that you know about a business that could be worth sharing? Maybe your favourite Chinese restaurant always gives free prawn crackers to loyal regulars or the local builders' merchants closes early on Saturdays? It's these useful details that can make your reviews special. Remember, the more helpful your review, the more 'Helpful' votes you'll receive.

Include personal experience

We want to hear your stories, experiences and opinions, including what you really thought of the business -whether you loved it or hated it. We need your personal take on the service - don't pass other people's views off as your own.

Use standard English

Your review should be written naturally, as if you are emailing a friend, so check that your review would make sense if you were reading it aloud. Try to use correct spelling and good grammar and avoid abbreviations and jargon. If you're writing a long review, it may be a good idea to use line spaces to separate your review into paragraphs.

Don't use offensive language

Feel free to write a negative review, if you weren't too keen on a business, but make it accurate and don't get carried away. Your language can certainly be creative, but leave out any swear words or offensive language. We trust you to be fair, but if someone does contact us and alerts us to behaviour which is offensive, abusive, illegal, or breaches our Terms of Use or these Community Guidelines, then your content will be removed and, if the nature of the abuse warrants it, your account may also be deleted.

Don't self promote

If you own, or work for one of the businesses featured on Swindon.co.uk it doesn't mean you can't review it. However, remember that Swindon.co.uk is a place for balanced and accurate reviews so be truthful, and don't exaggerate. Also, if you are the owner of the business or an employee, let people know in the review, otherwise you're being misleading, which is against our Terms of Use.

Don't make it personal

If the waitress in a cafe gave you bad service, by all means mention this in your review. But don;t include her name or make personal comments about her. This is against our Terms of Use and isn’t very nice, no matter how rude or inept you thought she was.

Placing an advert

Write an accurate description

Your advert will have greater success if you write a detailed, and accurate description. Do not over exaggerate or include anything that is not true. These questions may be helpful in writing a good description:- What condition is it in?- Is it still under warranty? - Does it have any flaws or repairs?- Does it have a special background or history?- What are the qualifications required and the responsibilities of the position? (job advert)

Do not keyword spam

Do not include words in your description that are unrelated to the item you're advertising, just to lure buyers to your advert. For example, do not say, "If you'd like a VW Golf, then you'll like this Fiesta."

Respond to messages promptly

Buyers are likely to have questions relating to your listing, which will be sent to your 'Messages' inbox and your personal email account. When a buyer gets in touch, aim to respond to them as soon as possible, as this will keep them interested in your listing.

Be polite

When responding to an enquiry, always be polite and courteous. If problems arise, talk about the situation you want to resolve and potential solutions, not what you think of them. Trading insults will not help to resolve the situation.